m
c)
RESTRICTED
traditional blue hard covered BDTC passport; (b) a new common
format machine readable BDTC passport; (c) a traditional blue
hard covered BN (0) passport and (d) a new common format
machine readable BN (0) passport. At the same time there will
be two passports in circulation in the
in the UK: the old blue hard
covered passport and the new machine readable passport. It is
not possible to introduce the new format passport in Hong Kong
until 1988 at the earliest. We doubt that the existance of
four types of passports will cause serious confusion, as many
countries including EC countries and the US will be switching
to new format passports at the same time.
BN (0) status to third
International acceptability of BN(0) passports: once the Order
is in place we intend to explain
countries. Our aim is to follow the same procedure as that
followed after the B NA 1981. We will send notes to third
countries explaining the new status and making it clear that
we now expect overseas governments to give BN (0) passport
holders the same rights of access to their countries as BDTC
passport holders. We have already had helpful responses from those countries who we have already approached informally
about the new status, and the US and Australian governments
have publicly welcomed the new passport:
a)
b)
Vice President George Bush said in Hong Kong on 19
October that the American Government would accept the new
BN (0) passport ("We will accept it and I
it and I am told by the
(US) Consulate, which has followed the issue closely,
they will have no problem recognising the
that
document.").
The Australian Commission in Hong Kong issued a statement on 6 December saying that the new BN (0) passport appeared
to be acceptable from an Australian viewpoint, and that
Hong Kong people should be able to continue visiting Australia as they presently do, subject to the usual visa
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.